Poetry of Ga'Hoole
This is a list of all songs and poems from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, organized by book. Source The Capture Centipede Song (by Soren) "Sing the centipede song, Soren! Sing it!" '' ''Soren opened his beak wide and began to sing:" :: What gives you a wriggle :: And makes you giggle :: When you eat 'em? :: Whose weensy little feet :: Make my heart really beat? :: Why, it's those little creepy crawlies :: That make me feel so jolly. :: For the darling centipede :: My favorite buggy feed : I always want some more. ::'' '' ::'' That's the insect I adore'' :: More than beetles, more than crickets, :: Which at times give me the hiccups. :: I crave only to feed :: On a juicy centipede :: And I shall be happy forevermore. :: :: ''-Page 11-12,'' The Capture Hail to St. Aegolius "It's their hymn," whispered the tiny owl. "It gets louder. That's when we can talk." Soren listened to the words of the hymn." :: Hail to St. Aegolius :: Our Alma Mater. :: Hail, our song we raise in praise of thee :: Long in the memory of every loyal owl :: Thy splendid banner emblazoned be. :: Now to thy golden talons :: Homage we're bringing. :: Guiding symbol of our hopes and fears :: Hark to the cries of eternal praises ringing :: Long may we triumph in the coming years. :: ''-Page 27, '' The Capture To Find One's Special Quality "At that very moment, there was a chorus of hoots, and many owl voices were raised in song." :: To find one's special quality :: One must live a life of deep humility. :: To serve in this way :: Never question but obey :: Is the blessing of St. Aggie's charity. :: :: ''-Page 32, The Capture Pelletorium Song ''Soren and Gylfie followed number 47-2, who had begun to march. Soon, they heard the click of all the owls talons as they struck the ground, for they were once more marching in time. Now the strange hollow tone in which 47-2 had spoken seemed to hover over the vast marching assembly of owlets. They were singing!... :: Every pellet has a story all its own. :: Every pellet has a story all its own. :: With its fur and teeth and bones :: And one or two stones, :: Every pellet has a story all its own. :: We shall dissect every pellet with glee, :: Perhaps we'll find a rodent's knee. :: And never shall we tire :: In the sacred task that we conspire :: Or do our work less than perfectly :: And those bright flecks at the core, :: Which make our hearts soar, :: Shall forever remain the deepest mystery. :: :: ''-Page 62, The Capture Eggorium Song ''"There was a collective gasp from all the owls. For even a perfectly moon-blinked owl could not help but be stunned by the scene before them. Thousands upon thousands of eggs were being sorted, eggs of all sizes and all pure white, glistening now in the moonlight. And as they sorted they sang a song...." By these eggs we set a store We set them out and ask for more. Pygmie, Elf, Spotted and Snowy Make our gizzards get all glowie. Barn Owls, Great Grays, Barred and Screech Give our hearts an extra beat. The work's top secret, that is true, But we are the best -- the eggorium crew! Don't give a hoot that no no one flies For upon these eggs the future relies. Such is is our noble destiny To guard St. Aggie's through eternity! ''-Page 106, The Capture Vampire Bat Song '"A strange song began to rise in the gluacidium.' Then blacker than the blackness of night,' '''printed against the sky, ten thousand' '''vampire bats flew overhead' 'as the owls called to them in an odd wailing lament." ''Come to us and quackle and quank. Relieve us of our stirrings With your fangs so sharp and bright Take this blood thats always purring. Through our hollow bones it flows to each feather and downy fluff. Quell the terrible, horrid urge that so often prinkles us, Still our dreams, make slow our thoughts Let tranquillity flood our veins. Come to us and drink your fill So we might end our pains. ''-page 136, The Capture'' Flutter Like a Hummingbird "Twilight began a hooting song," :: Flutter like a hummingbird, :: Dive like an eagle, :: Ain't no bird that's my equal. :: :: -''Page 166, The Capture :: Twilight's Battle Cry "Then there was a deep hoot that reverberated across the vastness of the desert. It was Twilight beginning his battle cry. Jatt and Jutt, however, had their own fierce thrum that seemed to shake Soren to his gizzard. Twilight was hooting only as Twilight could....." : ''You ugly rat-faced birds. : You call yourself a bird? : You call yourself an owl? : You ain't no decent kind of fowl! : They call you Jatt? : They call you Jutt? : I'm gonna toss you in a rut! '' : ''Then i'm gonna punch you in the gut! : Then you're going to wind up on your butt! :: You think you're all gizzard! :: I seen better lizards. :: One-two-three-four, :: You're going down, don't ask for more. :: Five - six - seven - eight, :: You ain't better than fish bait... :: Nine-ten-eleven-twelve, :: I'm gonna send you straight to hell. :: :: ''-Page 209, The Capture The Journey We're Going to Bash Them Birds ''Twilight's shadow began to flicker in the dim light at the hollow of the fir tree, as his voice, deep and thrumming, started to chant. We're going to bash them birds, Them rat-feathered birds. Them bad-butt owls ain't never heard 'Bout Gylfie, Soren, Dig, and Twilight. Just let them get to feel my bite Their li'l ole gizzards gonna turn to pus And our feathers hardly mussed. Oh, me. Oh, my. They gonna cry. One look at Twilight, They know they're gonna die. I see fear in their eyes And that ain't all. They know that Twilight's got the gall. Gizzard with gall that makes him great And every bad owl gonna turn to bait. I am More Beautiful Than a Cloud And then for the tenth time that day, Twilight sang his "I Am More Beautiful Than a Cloud" song. What is as fleecy as a cloud, As majestic and shimmering as the breaking dawn, As gorgeous as the sun is strong? Why, it's ME! Twilight, the Great Gray, Tiger of the Sky-'' ''Light of the Night, Most beautiful, An avian delight. I beam-'' ''I gleam-'' ''I'm a livin' flying dream. Watch me roll off this cloud and pop on back. This is flying, I ain't no hack. Glaux is Nigh Then, as the owls nestled down, the loveliest, most unearthly sounds began to pling softly through the Great Ga'Hoole tree, and a voice began to sing. Night is done, gone the moon, gone the stars From the skies. Fades the black of the night Comes the morn with rosy light. Fold your wings, go to sleep, Rest your gizzards, Safe you'll be for the day. Glaux is nigh. Far away is First Black, But it shall seep back Over field Over flower In the twilight hour. We are home in our tree. We are owls, we are free. As we go, this we know Glaux is nigh. The Weather Chaw In the scuppers, Ezlyryb began to squawk a raucous ditty into the teeth of the gale. We are the owls of the weather chaw. We take it blistering, We take it all. Roiling boiling gusts, We're the owls with the guts. For blizzards our gizzards Do tremble with joy. An ice storm, a gale, how we love blinding hail. We fly forward and backward, Upside down and flat. Do we flinch? Do we wail? Do we skitter or scutter? No, we yarp one more pellet And fly straight for the gutter! Do we screech? Do we scream? Do we gurgle? Take pause? Not on your life! For we are the best Of the best of the chaws! The Colliering Chaw And now, as the sun rose bloodred in the east, Bubo's deep rumble began to ring out across the water. It was the song of the colliers. Give me a hot coal glowing bright red, Give me an ember sizzling with heat, These are the jewels made for my beak. We fly between flames and never get singed We plunge through the smoke and never cringe. The secrets of fire, its strange winds, its rages, We know it all as it rampages Through forests, through canyons, Up hillsides and down. We'll track it. We'll find it. Take coals by the pound. We'll yarp in the heart of the hottest flame Then bring back its coals and make them tame. For we are the colliers brave beyond all We are the owls of the colliering chaw! Hush Little Owl "Now you take it easy, little Sooty," Twilight spoke gently to the owlet. "We're going to get you nice and fixed up. Don't you worry. You're in the talons of a champ here!" Twilight couldn't resist a little exhibition of his finer flight maneuvers. Besides, an owlet might find them comforting. Hush little owl, You're with Twi. I got the moves to get you by. Big bad crows. St. Aggie's scamps Ain't got nothin to show this champ. I'll pop a spiral With a twist, Do a three-sixty And scatter mist-'' The Rescue Harvest Hymn ''Just then a cheer began to rise, and with the first strains of the harp, a song rang out. It was a solemn song, the "Harvest Hymn", led by Madame Plonk and Dewlap. Dearest Tree we give our thanks for your blessings through the years. Vines heavy with sweet berries nourish us and quench our fears. And in times of summer droughts, searing heat or winters cold, from your bounty freely given we grow strong and we grow bold. Let us always tend with care your bark, your roots, your vines so fair '' ''And then, suddenly, a raucous song blasted out, led by Bubo. Drink, drink to old Ga'Hoole boola boola boola boole! Come along, mates, and givea tipple '' ''how that wine makes gizzards ripple! Ezylryb's Battle with Metalbeak Poem This poem appeared at the end of The Rescue. It was being written by Ezylryb in his quarters soon after Soren and The Chaw Of Chaws rescued him from Metal Beak and his forces .'' '' In a forest dark and tangled, smoke and fiery sparks did spangle the trees, the sky, the moon on high - '' ''it seemed as if Glaux did sigh. '' '' A barn Owl with a metal face, '' ''bellowed of his mighty race. '' ''The chaw of the chaws, did they cower in what might be their final hour? '' ''With their branches burning bright, '' ''they tore into this evil night. '' ''The flames danced across the mask - '' ''a demon owl from Soren's past! '' Nine others flanked him, dark eyes so grim, '' claws gleaming in the air, set to rip, to stab, to tear. '' ''So in that dark and tangled night, '' ''the chaw of chaws rose to fight, '' ''with talons bloodied, feathers singed. '' ''A battle won - a war begins! The Siege Auntie Battle Chant '' Finny was backing him into a corner. There would be no flight space. She was twice his size! Suddenly, a voice rang out, a rhythm seized the air. It was Twilight. A taunt blistered the hatchery as the Great Gray flew straight in toward Finny.'' Oh, Auntie this and Auntie that, You ain't nothing but a white-feathered rat. One-two-three-four, I got something else in store. Five-six-seven-eight, You're about to meet your fate. Nine-ten-eleven-twelve, Oh, great Glaux, you sure do smell! A special place for egg suckers like you, '' ''Yeah ̶ you'll make a tasty stew! ''- Page 111 - 112'' Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO! Sylvana had started to sing a digging song that had quickly become Soren's favorite. The ''coo-coo ''call was the call of the Burrowing Owl, and their voices were lovely and almost dove=like as they all joined in song. Soren felt rather shrill by comparison whenever he tried to use the call that wore through the song, but Sylvana never criticized him. She encouraged everyone. Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO! Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO! Burrow, scrape, Excavate Through gravel, ice, hard-packed earth Through sand, through muck, through mire. We pit, we dig, we gouge, and never do we tire. Our legs are bare, Our talons sharp, We drill the earth and know the spots Where rock crumbles into soil, Where shale can shift and slide like oil. Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO! Coo-coo-coo-ROOOO! We shall burrow through and through. ''-Pages 178 - 179 '' The Shattering Coming Home She began to hum a song that she had often heard her mother sing. Oh, she wished she could remember the words. Her mother had sung it when she was returning to the nest from hunting. It was halfway between a hunting song and a lullaby. Suddenly, the words came back to her, and Eglantine began singing the lovely old song. I'm coming home to my tall tree In a forest deep and green, Where my owl chicks wait for me Tucked away in my tall tree I bring you vole, I bring coon. The blood's not cold, I'll be there soon. And from my breast, I'll pluck som're down, So you can rest 'Til the moon grows round. Sleep on, babes, grow strong. May your feathers fledge, Your wings grow long. And then at day's edge When dark drinks light, We'll rise together in chick's first flight I'm coming home to my tall tree In a forest deep and green, Where my mum waits for me Tucked away in my tall tree. Oh, my mum waits for me! ''-Pages 61 - 62'' Moon-faced Owl Chant But above the crackling and hissing of the fire, Twilight's voice could be heard. He had begun one off his battle chants. You smokin' now, You moon-faced owl. These flames gonna make you howl. You gonna skitter Back to where you from. And now you think you ain't so dumb? Well, just let me tell you this ̶ You dumb as a fish, Dumb as a snail, Dumb as a rock, And I shall prevail! ''-Page 149'' Ezylryb's Passing the Claws Poem He sat down at his desk and took out a piece of his finest parchment, dipped the quill in an inkwell and began to write. The time has come, The claws are passed. An old owl rests, A die's been cast. It is a war for heart, gizzard, and mind. The weapons they wield, more deadly than mine. A blade draws blood, A fire burns. But with flecks, A mind unlearns, A soul unhinges, And then a gizzard quakes and cringes. Senses dull, Reason scatters. The heart grows numb, An owl shatters. But these six owls are strong and bold, And their story has not yet been told. ''-Pages 171 - 172'' The Burning Kraals Chant "Watch it, Twilight, on your tail!" Soren shrieked. Twilight dove in a masterful twist through a gust of wind and escaped the tail-feather attack. He then whirled up and, dancing on the ragged edges of the cutting winds, the Great Gray began to squawk. Gimme four, gimme five I'll take you live. I'm a bad bad owl I'll make you dive. Make you howl For your momma and pop Chase you around Till you drop. Now you goin' to hear my thunder Next you goin' to start to wonder He's here He's there He's everywhere This big bad owl He don't scare. ''-Page 101'' Twilla's Song Twilla began to sing the song in Krakish but by now Gylfie could understand the words. Set your wings upon the sea wind Set your eyes upon the steam Feel the billow of the updraft And believe in your dream Know the mercy of these waters Know the safety of the sky Hear the voices in the distance And believe ''̶ ''they will not lie ''-Page 154'' Snorri's Song And on the highest cliff of Dark Fowl, the skog Snorri caught sight of Gylfie and began a new song. It was a song about the rarest of flowers in the Northern Kingdoms, the Issenblomen, or the Ice Flowers. At the edge of the avalanche At the glacier's icy rim Grows the flower of the snowfields Trembling in the wintry wind. It dares to live on the edges Where naught else would ever grow. So fragile, so unlikely An owl slices through this blow. She dares the katabats Her gizzard madly quivers, But for her dearest of friends She vows she shall deliver. Like the lily of the avalanche The glacier's icy rose Like a flower of the wind The bright fierceness in her glows. The bravest are the small The weakest are the strong The most fearful find the courage To battle what is wrong. ''-Page 158'' Vulture Song The vultures shrieked and rose in the air. Twilight followed, herding them along with his ice sword flashing in the night. Only a bird such as Twilight could find artistic inspiration in a moment like this as he drove the vultures toward the Great Horns. But inspired he was, and he could not resist. I've had enough of your vulture culture. Now hustle on, you stink butt birds, Hustle on and hear my words. You're cowards, and I'll slice you up, Then feed you to the wolves for sup. You got splat for brains, Your gizzards are lame And now you're going to play my game! ''-Page 185'' The Hatchling Nyroc Shall Be King There was something spooky about his mum, Nyroc suddenly realized. For the first time he was afraid of her in a new way '' ̶ ''not because he had done something less perfectly or asked a question that he should not have asked. This was different. She seemed to have gone into some sort of trance. She began to speck in a scratchy voice. There were three scrooms who came to me And said Nyroc shall be king And with this Special ceremony His glory shall long and loudly ring. ''-Page 54'' Hagsmire up to Heaven So instead, he made up a little song, a silly little ditty. Phillip had told him that mums often sang to their children, that his had. But Nyra had never sung to Nyroc. Even so, as spring approached, this song came to him.Someday when he was much older and had chicks of his own, he would sing it to them. In the meantime, he sang it quietly to himself. There is a feather I've been told That helps owls fly high and bold. Oh, welcome back, number eleven, You lift me from hagsmire up to heaven. ''-Page 164'' Voices of the Dead They looked as if they had come from hagsmire ̶ 'hagsfiends caught up in a frenzy of hag winds. These singing gray shadows whirled about him and sang out in screechy voices. We are the voices of the dead We've come to tell you what to dread. A feeble prince, you're taken flight, You shall be ours before the night. But if your gizzard gallgrot gets A king of kings it shall beget. ''-Pages 184'' Dire Wolves So she went directly to her bookshelf and reached for her old tattered copy of the Fire Cycle and picked through it gently with her talons. She found the canto and the verses that Ezylryb had told her about and began reading. And in the whisper of the moon's last light The dire wolf, Fengo, traversed the night. And then another and still another followed him, Until a pack across the earth did roam Ever onward to seek a warmer home. Bereft of hope and gnawed by hunger, They sought a better place to dwell. Far from the ice-locked country whence they came, Far from the coldness that was their hell. And each time a wolf did ask, "Where will this journey end?" Fengo, their leader, did reply, "Just beyond the yonder. There! See those fires that scorch the sky Beyond the mountains that scrape the air? See the blackness that bleeds hot coals And makes the darkness shine with light? Where fires turn the moon blood-red, These same fires melt snow and ice And leave the land unlocked, undead. Beyond the next beyond!" Fengo's howl the air did rend. The wolves howled in return, "Will this journey never end?" Yet end it did and in its end a new beginning now was found. And thus did Fengo and his wolves come to this land beyond beyond. Beneath the fiery cones they made their den. In rocks and caves of black mountains That glittered with shards of volcanic glass, Between coal fields and fires they came to dwell. This was their heaven not their hell. And with that fire monster they made amends. Yet in that place beyond beyond Many others met their ends. ''-Pages 210 - 211'' Hoole's Prophecy The next canto was very poetic and one of Otulissa's favorites. It went on to describe how Grank hid the Ember of Hoole to keep it safe. She loved the rousing lines that came next, telling of Grank's rescue of the hatchling Hoole: In the darkness of that same night, Another came in desperate flight To rescue the prince now called Hoole Sent to end the wars so cruel. Then came the last canto, the meaning of which was still being argued by scholars. Otulissa read slowly, carefully. So bring him back with flames of gold. Bring him back with burning fire. For he reads what flames have told, And his will is Hoole's desire. He shall not cease his endless flight. He shall fly on through days and nights. Though an outcast in despair, He has a gizzard that is so fair. He shall return at summer's end, Coal in his beak, a shadow king no more, Tempered wise and brave for war. ''-Page 212'' The Outcast Your Gizzards are A-Wobble "Not Nyra! Her hagsfiend's come to curse you." And then Coryn let loose with a terrifying shree. Your gizzards are a-wobble, Your gall grot turned to mush. I shall take you all to hagsmire And rip out all your guts. I shall make you my slaves, Condemn you to shame, Unless you learn to play My great and evil game. ''-Pages 48 - 49'' The First Collier From A Time Before Time Ancient gadfeather songs! Myrrthe thought frantically. Did she know any ancient gadfeather songs? Something sounded dimly in her brain. "Yes," she said hesitatingly. "Let me just get these vole teeth set awat in my gizzard." She gulped and pretended to be flexing her gizzard, which, in truth, was trembling so hard it was barely functional. She was trying to buy herself some time. She then coughed delicately. The words of the song were coming back, and she sang: From a time before time when we gadfeathers roamed o'er mountains, valleys, and sea, We sought not a home, not a limb for a perch, we only wanted to be free. Now the sky is our home, the stars we do follow. The wind is our friend. That's all we need in the end; To fly and rarely rest. The whole world is our nest. Let us be, let us be, let us be. Let us be free, free, free! ''-Pages 54 - 55'' Poem for Myrrthe "Would you recite the poem for me now, Siv?" I asked. "I'll try," she said, and began. I see her in the wind, I see her in moon's light, I see whiteness in the dark, I see her day and night. When the dawn meets the morning, when twilight slips to night, I think of dearest Myrrthe, a bird so white, so bright. She is the snow of the N'ythghar, her whiteness curls in breaking seas. She is everywhere i look, but she still is lost to me. She is the song in my heart, she is the wind beneath my wing. Her mercy knows no bounds, her faith as deep as any sea. She is everywhere I look, yet she still is lost to me. ''-Pages 122 - 123'' The Coming of Hoole Naming Ceremony "Now quiet, dears," Siv said as she climbed atop Svenka's head, "and I shall sing you the song we owls always sing at the Naming ceremony when we have chicks. I'll change it a bit to fit for you cubs." In the mighty roiling waters of this cold and icy sea, may you swim 'neath Ursa's eyes may you grow up strong and free. May you be true to your nature, swift in water and on land, for you stand tallest of the tall in this white and icebound land. The greatest of the great in stature and in power, there is nary a living thing a polar bear cannot devour. And like your mum be massive in matters of the heart. Be of good cheer and loyal, dear Anka and dear Rolf. ''-Pages 31 - 32'' Gadfeather's Song As Siv drew closer, she could clearly hear one of the Snowies singing to the beautiful liquid notes of the ice harp. It was a mournful, soul-searing song. Fly away with me, give my loneliness a break. Fly away with me, so my heart will never ache. Fly away with me this night. Fly away with me, I'll find a feather for your ruff. Fly away with me till dawn. Fly away then we'll be gone. Hollows we shall leave behind, fly to places they'll never find. Fly away with me right now, I can't wait. Fly away with me, don't hesitate. I want to soar the smee hole drafts where the stream rises from the sea. I want to cross the mountain ridge, I want to see the other side. We'll preen each other in the moon's light. Fly away with me. We shall wake up in the snow, go where the winds always blow. Fly away with me! ''-Pages 33 - 34'' Song of the Snow Rose It was here that the Snow Rose would give her concert. And so she began. Like a flower at the avalanche's rim Like a snowflake in the wind Like a frost picture in the night Like a star burning, oh, so bright ''-Page 89'' A Wolf Howls But sometimes they simple howl -- not to communicate, but to mourn or wail messages meant only for themselves or for Lupus. It was to the constellation they called Lupus, that great wolf of the sky, that Fengo now howled. Where is he? Where is he? Where is Grank? Never gone so long. Has he been killed? Does he now climb the spirit trail, Lupus? The good owl, friend of mine. He is owl. I am wolf. He is sky. I am earth. We are brothers of this world. ''-Page 109 - 110'' To Be a King First Song of Ga'Hoole The lovely voice of the Snow Rose, the gadfeather who had fought with them in the Beyond, began to filter through the tree. She had taken to singing ballads toward First Light as the owls nestled in for the day. Where go the stars, where goes the dark, the night so black and clear? Worry not, worry not, night will come again soon. Dark, dark fold me in your wings. Dark, dark, let my gizzard sing. But now is the time for light --'' ''let it come, let it come. Bring the sun so bright, then the shadows beyond noon grow long as day grows old. Worry not, my owls, the dark will wait for you. Worry not, the night steals away the day. Worry not, twilight turns to gray. Here comes the night, here comes the night. ''-Pages 10 - 11'' Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole He Flies off into Danger Though his nursemaid tells him no, The boy will not be tamed, He flies off into danger To be battered, bruised and maimed! Are Now Asleep As the night falls, So do we. We fall asleep... We fall asleep... We continue to fall asleep... we fall asleep... For dreams they come on high! We are now asleep... Are now... asleep.... Into Battle We do Fly Into battle we do fly, No matter if we're going to die, A nasty, scary death awaits us -'' ''Even if our wings are ripped clean off...! Category:Browse Category:Owl Language Category:Culture Category:Phenomena Category:Songs And Poems